Categories: Hybrid / Green

Isn’t it exciting when you watch a movie and there’s a car crash scene? You hold your breath until anyone in the car gets out safely. It’s even more exciting when they don’t. Then there’s an explosion and a fire! Of course, we know that all this was planned and happened exactly as it was meant to. There are really very few reasons for an automobile to burst into flames, even in an accident. A normal vehicle doesn’t do that.

Drivers have been complaining about high gas prices ever since automobiles were invented. Yet, when it comes to doing something about fuel costs, Americans are long on talk and short on action. That may be why unleaded costs well over $3.00 a gallon across the country.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can get more out of each drop of petroleum. These methods go beyond the usual advice about staying inside the speed limits and keeping your tires properly inflated. They’ve been developed over the past 10 years by a group of people who call themselves hypermilers. By following their tips, you can greatly increase the distance you go on a tank of gas. Some drivers double their current MPG by using these suggestions. Here they are.

In Europe, diesels are big business. In America, not so much. Our fuel taxation system is designed to make gasoline the cheaper fuel, exactly the opposite of Europe's fuel/tax situation. Nevertheless, the Germans are dead-set on getting Americans to re-embrace the diesel. To that end, BMW and Audi are launching TDI versions of their most popular models. And now Mercedes is rolling out an oil-burning version of its uber-popular E-Class. But is it just a replacement for the soot-covered 240D?

For most people, self-driving cars fit in the same category as jet backpacks, robot butlers, and personal spaceships. While they’re great topics for science-fiction writers, there’s very little chance that they will ever exist in the real world. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn begs to differ, however. He not only intends to build autonomous vehicles, he has announced that they will be available for public purchase by 2020.

To those in the know, including other auto executives, this goal sounds so ambitious as to be ridiculous. While Google has put several self-driving cars on the road, the search engine giant has no plans to market such vehicles to the public. Rather, company heads hope to sell the technology to established manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Toyota.

When Toyota revealed the RAV4 EV, it was nice to see an all-electric car with a little more size and utility than the subcompact three-doors that dominate the EV segment. But at close to $50K, more than double the price of the gas version, the electric crossover isn't exactly an affordable bargain. Toyota is celebrating the upcoming Labor Day holiday by slashing the RAV4 EV's lease price.

Automakers around the world have really opened up the flood gates. They're either teasing or full-on revealing the cars, trucks, and concepts that they plan to debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in about three weeks. The latest concept car to come to our attention is the Monza from GM brand Opel/Vauxhall (we'll just say Opel from here on out), a sporty shooting brake built atop an evolution of the Ampera (Chevy Volt) plug-in hybrid platform.

Toyota is planning quite the offensive at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. It will unveil a race-derived hybrid concept, while luxury brand Lexus will show a concept car of its own. It's saving the details for the show, but it has played a little game of tease-and-tell to whet our appetites.

The Ford F-Series of pickup trucks has long been the Dearborn-based manufacturer’s bread and butter. Even in the dark days of the early and mid-2000s, when Ford cars were practically unsellable, the company’s truck line provided it with a reliable stream of revenue from millions of customers. The F-150 in particular has been consistently popular every year since 1982. The product’s slogan says why, as loyal owners are quick to affirm—the trucks are “built Ford tough.”

The 2014 Chevy Volt will feature a few very minor option updates, but outside of that, the only thing new on it is the price. The next generation of the Volt promises a much more thorough series of upgrades, including much improved all-electric range, according to comments from GM CEO Dan Akerson. It still won't be a rightful "electric vehicle," the way GM insists on describing it, but it will be one step closer.

For many people, the BMW 3-Series wagon is the ideal daily-driver, because it offers the perfect blend of pleasure and practicality. Similarly, diesel engines come with a deep well of torque to slingshot you to 60 mph just like a gas engine. And modern diesels get around 10 more miles-to-the-gallon, making them a lot more practical than their gas-fired counterpart. Put those two together, and you get the new 2014 BMW 328d xDrive Sport Wagon. A car that's as practical, as it is fun.

Range anxiety doesn't apply to gas-electric hybrids like the Chevy Volt, but one of the other big negatives of electric vehicles does. Like other cars with large battery packs and electric propulsion units, the Chevy Volt suffers from a high price. When it launched in 2010, the Volt was a luxury car-like $41,000. Sure, if you qualified for the $7,500 tax credit that quickly fell to $33,500, but even that's rather expensive for a Chevy sedan. With competition heating up in the electric and plug-in hybrid market, the BMW i3 electric car detailed last week will start just over the original Volt at $42,000. Chevy is dropping the price of the Volt to a more manageable level. For the first time, buyers will be able to get a brand new Volt for under $30,000 (after tax credits).